What We Do

Connecting Founders is a Bangkok-based organization focused on promoting women-led businesses in Southeast Asia. We support women entrepreneurs grow to the next stage and encourage a women-supporting-women movement in the region as we do so. By promoting women-led businesses, our goal is to contribute to higher and better economic growth in Southeast Asia – higher for acting on the high potential of women-led businesses and better for being more inclusive.

Connecting Founders has provided business networking and mentoring opportunities to women-owned start-ups and small businesses during the past two years. Through our Women in Business Series, we created a space where women entrepreneurs could share experiences, learn from each other, and build valuable connections. Together with featuring the entrepreneurial stories of 50 female founders, this work has helped create new role models in the community, giving more voice and visibility to women entrepreneurs.

We offer leadership training in partnership with soft skills provider Andragogy and we continue to facilitate business networking opportunities through our Lean In chapter and ad hoc events in partnership with various academic and business entities. Recently, we have also launched Financial Advisory Services to provide our entrepreneurs with tailored advice for their business and prepare them for their next level of growth. Services range from cash flow planning, cost-benefit analysis, to generating business plans, optimizing capital structures, and agency representation in capital raising and strategic partnerships.

Accomplished female founders featured on our platform, who are active in leading, engaging and inspiring new entrepreneurs in their local communities. They employ over 2,100 staff;

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Mentors leading group mentoring sessions for women-led start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs

Workshops and mentoring sessions have been an opportunity to share and flesh out issues ranging from turning an idea into a business, to retaining talent, accessing finance, pitching to investors, and exporting regionally or internationally.

Lessons Learned

What we’ve learned over the last two years is that female founders are seeking

To tap into a businessnetwork that will provide them with tools and resources to decide on their own how to expand their business

To learn leadership skills(verbal and non-verbal communication, negotiation skills) to build their confidence and executive presence; and

To access trusted financial advice when raising capital, negotiating with investors and business partners, and planning to expand locally, regionally, or internationally.

While we continue to offer leadership training in partnership with soft skills provider Andragogy and we facilitate business networking opportunities through our Lean Inchapter and ad hoc events in partnership with various academic and business entities, we have also recently launched our Advisory Services to provide our entrepreneurs with tailored advice for their business and prepare them for their next level of growth. Services range from cash flow planning, cost-benefit analysis, to generating business plans, optimizing capital structures, and agency representation in capital raising and strategic partnerships.

We are currently working with a few businesses in Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. To learn more about our financial advisory services, visit our page.